19 Henry Martyn, Priest, and Missionary to India and Persia, 1812. William Carey, Missionary to India, 1834
20
21
22
23 Saint James of Jerusalem, Brother of our Lord Jesus Christ, and Martyr, c. 62
24
25
26 Alfred the Great, King of the West Saxons, 899 was King of Wessex from 871 to 899. Alfred successfully defended his kingdom against the Viking attempt at conquest, and by the time of his death had become the dominant ruler in England.[1] He is the only English monarch to be accorded the epithet "the Great".[2][3] Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself "King of the Anglo-Saxons".
27.


OLD TESTAMENT:  Exodus 33: 12 - 23  (RCL)

Exod 33:12 (NRSV) Moses said to the LORD, "See, you have said to me, "Bring up this people'; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, "I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.' 13 Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people." 14 He said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." 15 And he said to him, "If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth."
17 The LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name." 18 Moses said, "Show me your glory, I pray." 19 And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, "The LORD'; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live." 21 And the LORD continued, "See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; 23 then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen."


Isaiah 45: 1 - 7  (alt. for RCL)
Isaiah 45:1, 4 - 6   (Roman Catholic)

Isai 45:1 (NRSV) Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped
to subdue nations before him
and strip kings of their robes,
to open doors before him--
and the gates shall not be closed:
2 I will go before you
and level the mountains,
I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron,
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
and riches hidden in secret places,
so that you may know that it is I, the LORD,
the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name,
I surname you, though you do not know me.
5 I am the LORD, and there is no other;
besides me there is no god.
I arm you, though you do not know me,
6 so that they may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is no one besides me;
I am the LORD, and there is no other.
7 I form light and create darkness,
I make weal and create woe;
I the LORD do all these things.


PSALM 99  (RCL)

Psal 99:1 (NRSV) The LORD is king; let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
2 The LORD is great in Zion;
he is exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name.
Holy is he!
4 Mighty King, lover of justice,
you have established equity;
you have executed justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Extol the LORD our God;
worship at his footstool.
Holy is he!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel also was among those who called on his name.
They cried to the LORD, and he answered them.
7 He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud;
they kept his decrees,
and the statutes that he gave them.
8 O LORD our God, you answered them;
you were a forgiving God to them,
but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
9 Extol the LORD our God,
and worship at his holy mountain;
for the LORD our God is holy.


99   Dominus regnavit   (ECUSA BCP)

1      The Lord is King;
let the people tremble; *
     he is enthroned upon the cherubim;
     let the earth shake.

2      The Lord is great in Zion; *
     he is high above all peoples.

3      Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; *
     he is the Holy One.

4      "O mighty King, lover of justice,
you have established equity; *
     you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob."

5      Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God
and fall down before his footstool; *
     he is the Holy One.

6      Moses and Aaron among his priests,
and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, *
     they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.

7      He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; *
     they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.

8      “O Lord our God, you answered them indeed; *
     you were a God who forgave them,
     yet punished them for their evil deeds.”

9      Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God
and worship him upon his holy hill; *
     for the Lord our God is the Holy One.


Psalm 96: 1 - 9 (10 - 13)  (alt. for RCL)
Psalm 96: 1, 3 - 5, 7 - 10   (Roman Catholic)

Psal 96:1 (NRSV) O sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples.
4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be revered above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
6 Honor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts.
9 Worship the LORD in holy splendor;
tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, "The LORD is king!
The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.
He will judge the peoples with equity."
11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12 let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the LORD; for he is coming,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with his truth.


96   Cantate Domino   (ECUSA BCP)

1      Sing to the Lord a new song; *
       sing to the Lord, all the whole earth.

2      Sing to the Lord and bless his Name; *
        proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day.

3      Declare his glory among the nations *
       and his wonders among all peoples.

4      For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; *
        he is more to be feared than all gods.

5    As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols; *
    but it is the Lord who made the heavens.

6      Oh, the majesty and magnificence of his presence! *
   Oh, the power and the splendor of his sanctuary!

7      Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples; *
   ascribe to the Lord honor and power.

8      Ascribe to the Lord the honor due his Name; *
   bring offerings and come into his courts.

9      Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; *
   let the whole earth tremble before him.

10      Tell it out among the nations: “The Lord is King! *
   he has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved;
   he will judge the peoples with equity.”

11      Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
    let the sea thunder and all that is in it; *
  let the field be joyful and all that is therein.

12      Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy
    before the Lord when he comes, *
  when he comes to judge the earth.

13      He will judge the world with righteousness *
   and the peoples with his truth.


NEW TESTAMENT:  1 Thessalonians 1: 1 - 10  (RCL)
                                   1 Thessalonians 1: 1 - 5b   (Roman Catholic)

1The 1:1 (NRSV) Paul, Silva'nus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalo'nians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace.
2 We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedo'nia and in Acha'ia.
8 For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedo'nia and Acha'ia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. 9 For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

h/t Montreal Anglican



This letter opens as did private letters of the time. Paul states that it is from him and two associates (although he is actually the author). Silvanus is the Gentile name of Silas, the person who brought to Antioch the Jerusalem Council’s decision that Gentile Christians were not required to observe Jewish cultural/religious practices. The word translated “church” here can mean any assembly, so Paul makes it clear: the letter is to the community at Thessalonica which believes in God as Father and holds the Christ (messiah) to be his Son, Jesus. A letter began with a greeting, and Paul uses his usual one: “Grace to you and peace”.

Paul launches into brotherly affection: he and those with him remember the members of the church in their prayers, thankful for their “work of faith” (v. 3), their wholehearted assent to God and his plan for salvation, for their “labour of love”, their hard work of active caring for others, and their “steadfastness of hope”, their patient endurance of all suffering in the hope of salvation. (English has no adequate translation for the words he uses.) This is happening, he says, because God has “chosen you” (v. 4): they have embraced the good news not only intellectually (“in word only”, v. 5) but also in divine action: working abundantly (“with full conviction”) aided by the Holy Spirit. Further, he and his companions found their conversion efforts among them highly effective. The Thessalonians have become “imitators” (v. 6) of Paul and of Christ, being joyful in spite of persecution; they have become examples for others to imitate throughout the province (“Macedonia”, v. 7) and elsewhere. People know how they were converted from worshipping false gods represented by “idols” (v. 9), gods who are lifeless and not what they seem to be – to worshipping “a living and true God”, to awaiting the second coming of Christ, whom God “raised from the dead” (v. 10), and who will rescue us from the “wrath”, the punishment at the end of time for those who oppose God’s ways.



Verses 1-7: Ancient Greek letters customarily began with the names of the sender and of the recipient and a short greeting. See also Acts 23:26 (a tribune’s letter to Felix). Paul expands this form to express his Christian faith as well. [ NOAB]

Verse 1: “Silvanus”: See Silas in Acts 15:22, 40; 16:19-25; 17:4; 18:5 and “Silvanus” in 2 Corinthians 1:19. It is not clear whether he is the “Silvanus” mentioned in 1 Peter 5:12. [ CAB]†NJBC says the “Silas” mentioned in Acts 17:4 as being one of the leading members of the Church at Jerusalem is “Silvanus”. [ NJBC]

Verse 1: “Timothy”: He was from Lystra in Asia Minor, the son of a Greek father and of a Jewish mother who became a Christian: see Acts 16:1. See also 3:2; 1 Corinthians 4:17; 16:10; Philippians 2:19-22. [ NOAB] [ CAB]

Verse 1: “Lord”: The title of Israel’s covenant God is applied by Christians to the risen and glorified Jesus, as it is in Philippians 2:9-11: “Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”. [ NOAB]

Verse 1: “Grace ... and peace”: Paul combines the Greek and Hebrew salutations, including in his greeting the grace and peace given in Christ. [ NOAB] This initial greeting is also found in 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:2; 1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4; Philemon 3. See also 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 1:2; 2 John 3; Jude 2; Revelation 1:4. [ CAB]

Verses 2-10: In ancient Greek letters, a short prayer of thanksgiving or of petition usually followed the salutation. Paul expands this in a Christian way. While he is grateful with what the Thessalonian Christians have achieved, there is still much to be done. [ NOAB]

Verses 2-5: In the Greek original, these verses form a single sentence! [ NJBC]

Verse 3: “faith ... love ... hope”: A triad also found in 5:8; Romans 5:1-5; 1 Corinthians 13:13; Galatians 5:5-6; Colossians 1:4-5; Hebrews 10:22-24; 1 Peter 1:21-22.

Verse 3: “steadfastness of hope”: In Romans 5:5, Paul says “... hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us”.

Verse 4: “we know”: Paul has received news about the church at Thessalonica from Timothy, who has just returned to Paul from Thessalonica: in 3:6, Paul writes: “Timothy has just now come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love. He has told us also that you always remember us kindly and long to see us – just as we long to see you”. [ CAB]

Verse 4: “brothers and sisters”: The Greek word, adelphos (brothers) is used 19 times in this book. Such is Paul’s affection for the Church at Thessalonica (although fellow members of any religion considered themselves brothers). [ NJBC]

Verse 4: “he has chosen you”: Either Israel’s privileges as God’s chosen people are transferred to the Church [ NOAB] or Christians are also “chosen”. That they have received the gospel in word and action proves God’s choosing of the Thessalonian Christians. [ NJBC]

Verse 5: Paul writes similarly in 1 Corinthians 2:4: “My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God”. See also 2 Corinthians 12:12.

Verse 5: “power ... Holy Spirit ... full conviction”: Three virtually synonymous expressions. For Paul, the proclamation of the gospel is as much an expression of God’s power as is the working of miracles. [ NJBC]

Verses 6-8: These verses form one sentence in the Greek original. [ NJBC]

Verse 6: “in spite of persecution”: The first converts of Paul and Silas in Thessalonica were subjected to much “persecution” by a mob: see Acts 17:5-9. [ NOAB] The Greek word, thlipsis, is almost a technical term for eschatological distress, sometimes described elsewhere as the onslaught of both physical and moral evil, or messianic woes. [ NJBC]

Verse 6: “joy”: This is an eschatological reality, the gift of the Spirit. Paul writes in Galatians 5:22: “... the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control”. [ NJBC]

Verse 7: “Macedonia”: Thessalonica was the capital of a district of this province. While the initial response to Paul’s evangelisation in the city was positive, he later met hostilities there. “Macedonia” is also mentioned in see Acts 27:2; Philippians 4:16; 2 Timothy 4:10.

Verse 8: “Achaia”: i.e. The southern half of the Greek peninsula. Corinth was its capital. [ CAB]

Verse 9: The spread of the gospel is part of the gospel message. [ NJBC]

Verse 9: “from idols”: For Paul, worshipping “idols” is worshipping no gods at all: he writes in 1 Corinthians 8:4-5: ... “as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that ‘no idol in the world really exists,’ and that ‘there is no God but one’. Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods ...”. [ NJBC]

Verse 9: “you turned to God from idols”: Those in mind are Gentiles.

Verse 10: See also 2:1; 3:13; 4:13-18; 5:1-11; Romans 2:5, 16; 8:23; 1 Corinthians 1:7; Philippians 3:20; Galatians 5:5.

Verse 10: “whom he raised from the dead”: The resurrection identifies Jesus as the one by whom God will affect salvation. [ NJBC]

Verse 10: “who rescues us”: Note the present tense: rescue (deliverance) has already begun! [ NJBC]

GOSPEL:  Matthew 22: 15 - 22       (all)

Matt 22:15 (NRSV) Then the Phar'isees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. 16 So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Hero'dians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?" 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin used for the tax." And they brought him a denarius. 20 Then he said to them, "Whose head is this, and whose title?" 21 They answered, "The emperor's." Then he said to them, "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." 22 When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

Note: the Roman Catholic lectionary omits v. 22
Back in 21:23, as Jesus was teaching in the Temple, Jewish officials questioned his authority to do “these things”, all he has done in his earthly ministry. Jesus declined to answer the question, for the answer could only be understood by those with faith. Just before our reading, we find the parable of the Wedding Feast, which the Pharisees saw as an attack on them.

Now followers of the “Pharisees” (v. 15) and “Herodians” (v. 16, people who supported Herod, the Roman puppet king, and his successors) – united only in their desire to get rid of Jesus – speak to him. They appear to respect him, but speak with irony. And then the question, the subject of great debate in Jewish circles: should we pay the annual poll tax to Rome? (v. 17) Opinions varied: one group, the Zealots, claimed that God’s people should not be subject to pagan Gentiles. Jesus sees through their plot; he calls them “hypocrites” (v. 18) for pretending to respect him but intending to discredit him. If Jesus says yes, Zealots and other Jews hostile to Rome will turn against him; if he says no, he will risk arrest for inciting rebellion against Rome. We know his answer, as translated, but “Give” (v. 21) can be give back or repay. To Jews then and to us now, all we have is given to us by God; we owe everything to him. Jesus sidesteps another issue (vv. 20-22): the obverse side of the coin is inscribed Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus, great high priest – an affront to his fellow monotheistic Jews.

The parallels are Mark 12:13-17 and Luke 20:20-26. [ NOAB]

This is the first of four units containing controversies with various kinds of Jewish leaders: Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees.

Verse 15: See also Mark 3:6 (the Pharisees conspire with the Herodians) and 8:15 (Jesus warns his disciples about these two groups). [ NOAB]

Verse 15: “entrap”: Then and now entrapment is a legal offense.

Verse 16: “you do not regard people with partiality”: Biblical justice expects impartiality: no bribes, and tilting of the scales of justice towards the poorer litigant. [ NJBC]

Verse 17: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor ... ?”: A question of conscience for the Pharisees, but an artifice for the Herodians.

Verse 18: “hypocrites”: Originally the Greek word, hypokrites , was a theatrical term meaning actor. [ NJBC]

Verse 21: “Give ... to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s”: Jesus accepts the status quo as the lesser of two evils, the other being anarchy. He does not accept the state’s claim to be divine. God’s domain is greater than the emperor’s. [ NJBC] See also 17:24-27, Romans 13:7 (part of a passage in which Paul says that administrators are sanctioned by God) and 1 Peter 2:17.